User blog:SPARTAN 119/Blair Mountain Rebels VS Black Eagle Rebels
The Blair Mountain Rebels, the armed labor rioters who fought it out with Baldwin-Felts Detectives, police, and the army in the battle for worker’s rights VS The Black Eagle Rebels, the Russian peasant rebels who stood against Soviet food confiscations WHO IS DEADLIEST!? Blair Mountain Rebel The events leading up to the Battle of Blair Mountain of 1921 started in the late 19th and early 20th century with the violent tactics used by mine owners to halt unionization of mine workers. In May 1920, a gunfight erupted between Sid Hatfield, the town sheriff of Matewan, WV, along with several deputies and several Baldwin-Felts private detectives involved in violent strikebreaking, including Albert and Lee Felts. A year later, Sid Hatfield was himself assassinated, an act that enraged the local miners. 10,000-15,000 miners took up arms and seized control of the area around Blair Mountain, WV, engaging a week-long battle with police, and eventually U.S Army forces with air support. Over 900 miners were arrested, though only some were convicted. In the end, however, they were paroled in 1925, however, government recognition of labor unions was set back until the 1930s, in part due to the events of Blair Mountain. Black Eagle Rebel The Black Eagle Rebels were a group of peasant rebels in the Ufa Governorate (present-day Tatarstan and Bashkortostan), in southwestern Russian formed in February, 1920. The rebels, armed mostly with improvised weapons such as pitchforks and axes, resisted forced food confiscations by the new Soviet Regime. The rebellion started when the peasants overrun and killed a number of Red Army troops sent to seize crops from them. The peasants then assassinated multiple pro-Soviet officials in Menzelinsk and Zainsk, with the uprising eventually spreading to parts of the Kazan and Samara governorates, with rebels forming a cohesive organization under I. Milovanov, declaring themselves in support of the more Consituent Assembly, a more moderate socialist opposition to the Bolsheviks. The rebels numbered over 50,000 men. In Mid-March, 1920, the Red Army retaliated, crushing the lightly armed peasants with artillery and machine guns, killing 3000 rebels and burning down villages. In spite of their mostly improvised weaponry, the Black Eagle rebels managed to kill 800 Red Army soldiers before they were put down. ‘’’Note: While the Black Eagle Rebels were mostly armed with pitchforks and other improvised weapons, given that they killed over 800 Soviet soldiers, it seems likely that they captured some small arms from their enemies, and will thus have them in this match.’’’ =Weapons= Melee Weapons Pickaxe (Blair) A pickaxe is a tool for breaking apart soil and rock, however, the two metal points on the heavy head of the tool mean it can be used as an improvised weapon. Pickaxes, much like small shovels, were sometimes used as improvised weapons in the First World War, and pickaxe handles were likewise used as improvised club or batons. Pitchfork (Black Eagle) The pitchfork, also known as the garden fork, is a fork-shaped tool used by farmers and gardeners for turning earth, harvest potatoes, pulling up plants, and moving hay. In pop culture, pitchforks are often the weapon by angry mobs since they were easy to aquire, a reputation that is not entirely undeserved, as pitchforks are were sometimes used as improvised spears in peasant uprisings from the Middle Ages onward. 119’s Edge The Black Eagle’s ‘’’Pitchfork’’’ for its greater length and lethality, capable of delivering sharp force trauma more quickly. Handguns Smith and Wesson No. 3 (Blair) The Smith & Wesson Model 3 was a single-action, cartridge-firing, top-break revolver produced by Smith & Wesson from circa 1870 to 1915. The weapon saw widespread sales in the late 19th and early 20th century, making it a likely civilian weapon for the period of the Blair Mountain Rebellion. The weapon fired a .44 Smith & Wesson round from a six-round top-break chamber. Nagant Revolver (Black Eagle) The Nagant M1895 Revolver is a Russian double-action revolver first designed in 1895. The weapon was unusual as it had a gas seal around the chamber to prevent gases from escaping. These gases instead forced the bullet forward at a greater velocity. This gave the Nagant the unintended side effect of being one of the few revolvers able to use a suppressor. The weapon had a seven-round cylinder chambered for 7.62x38 rounds. 119’s Edge The Nagant had an extra round in the chamber, but the Smith and Wesson fires a larger, more powerful round. Even. Rifles Springfield M1903 (Blair) The M1903 Springfield, formally the United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903, is an American clip-loaded, 5-shot, bolt-action service rifle used primarily during the first half of the 20th century. The weapon also had variants produced for the civilian market as a hunting rifle. The M1903 had an effective range of 600 meters. Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Black Eagle) The Mosin–Nagant (Russian: Винтовка Мосина, ISO 9: Vintovka Mosina) is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle invented under the government commission by Russian and Belgian inventors, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations. It is one of the longest serving bolt action rifles in history, being issued until the 1940s (and up to the 1960s in third world client nations of the USSR). The weapon fired 7.62x53mm rounds from a five round magazine. The rifle had a muzzle velocity of 865 meters per second, and an effective range of 500 meters. 119's Edge The Springfield M1903 has a longer effective range. While both rifles will have iron sights, not being much use at extreme range, the Blair Mountain Rebels have more experience with firearms and will be able to better make use of that range. =X-Factors= {| border="1" class="wikitable" !Blair Mountain Rebel !X-Factor !Black Eagle Rebels |- |35 | Training |35 |- |63 |Marksmanship |45 |- |55 |Brutality |70 |- |65 |Tenacity |70 |- |50 |Logistics |30 |} Explanations In terms of training, some of the rebels might have been veterans of the First World War, but most of them had no military training. In terms of marksmanship, more of the Blair Mountain Rebels would have owned guns and be more familiar with them, while most of the Black Eagle Rebels would not. This also ties into logistics, as the Blair Mountain Rebels hid caches for firearms and ammunition in the mountains, as well as stocked piled arms at their various strongpoints. While they obviously do not score as well as a professional army, they still do better than their adversaries. The Black Eagle Rebels, on the other hand, would have been armed mostly with pitchforks, axes, and other improvised weapons, any firearms and ammunition would probably been taken off fallen Red Army troops, and this would have hand limited ammunition, and given they only killed about 800 Red Army troops, only a small portion of the 50,000 Black Eagle Rebels could have had captured firearms (though, for the purposes of this match, it will feature one of the more well-armed groups of Black Eagle Rebels). The Black Eagle Rebels take an edge in brutality due to the close-in nature of the weapons, which were mostly melee. They also take a slight edge for tenacity given that the Black Eagle Rebels managed to kill 800 Soviet troops in spite of their light arsenal. =Notes= The battle will be five vs five fight. =Battle= Blair Mountain Rebels: Black Eagle Rebels: Five Black Eagle rebels walked through a mountain forest, wondering where they were and how they got there. Up ahead, they saw a group of men standing around a caches of guns and ammuntion. The Black Eagle rebels approached cautiously and called out to the groups. One of the Blair Mountain rebels turned the intruders and, deciding they were a threat, lowered his rifle at them, before yelling, "Y'all get away from here, you hear me!". A Black Eagle Rebel armed with a Mosin-Nagant took aim at the man who aimed his rifle and, seeing it as threat, fired. The bullet struck the Blair Mountain Rebel in his chest, causing him to crumple to the ground, dead. The Blair Mountain rebels all grabbed guns from the stockpile and opened fire. One of the miners, who carried an army surplus Springfield M1903 shot the Black Eagle who started the fight in the head. The Russian rebel collapsed immediately. The two groups shot at each other, bullets whizzing over their heads, striking trees and rock, and kicking up the dirt around them. One of the Black Eagle Rebels, who did not have a gun, only a pitchfork, went unnoticed in the chaos of the firefight as he crept up the slope, behind the Blair Mountain rebels, before lunging out from behind a large boulder and catching a Blair Mountain Rebel in the back, all three prongs of the pitchfork punching straight through and poking out his chest. The Black Eagle Rebel with the pitchfork let go of the farm implement and grabbed the rifle, which the mortally wounded Blair Mountain rebel dropped at his feet. Before he could get off a shot, however, a Blair Mountain rebel spotted him and shot him with his sidearm, an old Smith and Wesson No. 3 revolver. The Black Eagle rebel was hit by two bullets to the chest and collapsed to the ground. The distraction of the flank attack was what the Black Eagle Rebels needed. A Blair Mountain Rebel who turned to look at the commotion was hit by a 7.62mm Russian rifle round in the side of the head and fell immediately. Soon after, a second Blair Mountain rebel was struck by three bullets from Nagant revolver. The last Blair Mountain rebel fired his Springfield, hitting one of the oncoming Black Eagle rebels with a well-placed shot to the center mass, dropping him immediately. Unfortunately for the last miner, he was hit by fire from the both of the surviving Black Eagle rebels, his chest pierced by two revolver round and rifle bullet. The surviving Black Eagle rebels walked over to the hole in the ground the Blair rebels had been guarding. Inside were dozens of guns, including various models of rifles, pistols, and shotguns, as well as ammunition and even a few sticks of dynamite. This would be most valuable in the fight for their cause. Now they just needed to figure out where they were and how to get it back to their comrades. WINNER: Black Eagle Rebel Expert's Opinion The experts believed the Black Eagle Rebels would win this battle in spite of their inferior logistics and skill with firearms because of their sheer tenacity and brutality. Armed mostly with improvised weapons, they nonetheless took control of parts of multiple Soviet governorates and even killed 800 Soviet soldiers who were armed with rifles, machine guns, and artillery. The Blair Mountain rebels put up a valiant fight, but never challenged forces of this magnitude. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Blog posts